Tag Archives: WWE

How do wrestling fans know the summer is almost over? It’s because WWE SummerSlam is now upon us.

In one of the most cleverly scheduled events of the entire year, the WWE builds up SummerSlam through the warm-weather months as a show that rivals the likes of WrestleMania.

Granted the stage is not the same as WrestleMania, but SummerSlam is the perfect way to end summer just before school begins and workloads increase for the rest of the WWE faithful.

By looking at the match card for this Sunday at the Barclays Center, it is very similar to one that would be seen in early April – with even the same start time of 7 p.m.

No major superstar was left off Sunday’s card, with 11 matches scheduled, including six for championship titles. That’s even leaving out arguably the two best matches of the night, with Brock Lesnar facing Randy Orton and John Cena fighting AJ Styles.

Brand separation has played out well for the WWE thus far, as it paved the way for new storylines and a more intriguing SummerSlam. A Dean Ambrose-Dolph Ziggler match would likely not have been set-up without it.

The sudden rises of Finn Balor and Apollo Crews would also not have been as likely. The pair would have made appearances, but not on the championship tier that both are competing on this Sunday.

Competing with last year’s SummerSlam, which also took place at the Barclays Center, will be a tall task considering the Undertaker-Brock Lesnar controversial main event the rocked the arena. That’s why adding Lesnar’s star power with Orton makes sense, trying to regain that type of excitement.

The championship matches will be enticing, despite the fact that all titles will remain on their respective shows. We have not yet reached the point of cross-brand title matches, which is when the stakes are even higher and the WWE landscape could change.

For now, every title is on the line – including the new (and first-ever) WWE Universal Champion. Here’s the SummerSlam rundown:

Lesnar vs. Orton

Having the former NCAA, WWE and UFC champion in a match is good for publicity – especially with Lesnar’s prominence. Putting Orton in a huge match after making his return from a nine-month injury absence helps his character too. This could be the best match of the night.

Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Universal Championship

Balor has come to define the meaning of the “New Era”, taking Raw by storm on his first night by earning a spot against Rollins at SummerSlam for the newly-created title. Either Rollins becomes champion and Raw sticks to the status quo, or Balor reigns and the New Era springboards.

Ambrose vs. Ziggler

It will be a hotly-contested match, and the title could change hands, but this lacks the intrigue of other matches considering Ziggler’s long stretch of being mostly irrelevant in recent storylines. All of a sudden, he’s a big-time player. Could very well turn out to be a classic, but pre-match excitement is lacking.

Cena vs. Styles

After Cena put Styles through a table on Smackdown Live on Tuesday, this heated rivalry may come to an end on Sunday, depending on the outcome. With no Gallows and Anderson to help Styles, he’ll be on his own against Cena. Something he has yet to do.

Rusev vs. Roman Reigns – U.S. Title

This match loses steam considering the two superstars fought on Monday, with Reigns beating Rusev in singles action. Now the match will be seen again, this time for Rusev’s U.S. Title. It will be a great match, but it’s very odd why they had it just days before SummerSlam.

Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte – WWE Women’s Championship

Banks just won the title from Charlotte a few weeks back, making this rematch a good one. The duo fought in what turned out to be a classic women’s match on the first episode of the newly-formed Raw and fans will be looking for more of the same on Sunday.

New Day vs. Gallows and Anderson – Tag Team Titles

Without Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are vulnerable against Gallows and Anderson. Then again, fighting to avenge their partner might be enough to help them retain at the same event they won the titles in 2015.

Enzo and Cass vs. Jericho and Kevin Owens

These four superstars had no storylines just a few weeks back. However, they all needed to find a spot in SummerSlam. The answer? Find a way to link Jericho with Owens and have a tag team match. This one will be entertaining – not just from a wrestling point of view. Look for a few laughs as well.

The Miz vs. Apollo Crews – Intercontinental Championship

Crews is another star that has arisen in the New Era and Miz, for the most part, is a boring champion considering many times you forget he even has the belt. It might be Crews’ time to become a champion and really step into the spotlight.

Cesaro vs. Sheamus (Best of Seven)

These two stars actually fought in last year’s SummerSlam as well – and probably about 16 times since. Neither is quite at the WWE Championship level, so they are both in wrestling purgatory. So what should they do? Have a best-of-seven series! That will take up some time. The first match in this series will be at SummerSlam (ugh).

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